Electrical Stimulation For Kids Constipation and Overactive Bladder

Constipation

At Insight Pelvic Health we instruct families how to use electrical stim as part of a comprehensive therapeutic approach. The electrodes are placed on the child’s back and belly. They will feel a gentle and comfortable tingling sensation. This can be a daily treatment to help improve symptoms of constipation. Research shows it can help your child have more frequent bowel movements, better stool type, improved bowel urges, decreased abdominal pain, and decreased episodes of incontinence.

Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder is a frequent and sudden urge to pee. It may even be difficult to get to the bathroom on time.  This can happen in kids and adults.  Using electrical stimulation applied at the ankle, research demonstrates decreased urgency, improved bladder filling and emptying, and less accidents.  Most kids find the electrical stimulation to be gentle and comfortable. 

Resources

Samhan, Ahmed Fathy, Walid Kamal Abdelbasset, and Ragab Kamal Elnaggar. "Clinical evaluation of the effectiveness of interferential current therapy in the treatment of children with pelvic floor dyssynergia-type constipation: a randomized controlled study." The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics 62.6 (2020): 1002-1011.

Yik, Yee Ian, John Hutson, and Bridget Southwell. "Home-based transabdominal interferential electrical stimulation for six months improves paediatric slow transit constipation (STC)." Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface 21.7 (2018): 676-681.

Cui H, Yao Y, Xu Z, Gao Z, Wu J, Zhou Z, Cui Y. Role of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Treating Children With Overactive Bladder From Pooled Analysis of 8 Randomized Controlled Trials. Int Neurourol J. 2020 Mar;24(1):84-94. doi: 10.5213/inj.1938232.116. Epub 2020 Mar 31. PMID: 32252190; PMCID: PMC7136445.